Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman@@http://www.totalfilm.com/news/henry-joost-and-ariel-schulman-talk-paranormal-activity-3@@ sure do not fail to scare the living daylights out of their audience with “Paranormal Activity 3.” This time, however, the film is set in the 1980s and centers on protagonist Katie and her sister Kristi as kids.
What initially started out as a small independent film about Katie and her irritating boyfriend Micah has turned into a successful series with likeable characters. Similar to the first and second films, the third has another annoying boyfriend who finds that capturing the haunting on video is oddly humorous.@@okay, is Dennis the boyfriend?@@ Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith)@@http://advancescreenings.com/tag/christopher-nicholas-smith/@@ plays the role of the loving stepfather, but he and his juvenile partner — with their endless supplies of VHS tapes and cameras — are much more interested in their supernatural friend haunting Kristi, the youngest.@@What?@@
The leading female role is the two girls’ mom, Julie (Lauren Bittner)@@http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1584283/@@. She emulates the other leading ladies in the first two films — the underwhelming nonbeliever — but it keeps the audience on their toes, as many seem to already be onboard with the plot.@@what?@@
Dennis sets up several cameras all over the house — one in his and Julie’s bedroom, one in the girls’ bedroom and one downstairs. He dismantles a fan downstairs and props the camera on it so that it rotates back and forth, scanning all realms of the kitchen and living room. This part is unlike any of the other two films in that it heightens the suspense, leaving the audience unaware as to when something might just pop out.
Then there’s the seemingly innocent Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown),@@http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1053580/@@ who plays a standout role, and her imaginary friend, Toby. Her older sister, Katie, and her mother don’t believe that Toby is real, which turns out to be a huge mistake. It isn’t until Dennis suspects that something weird is going on with Kristi that bad things begin happening to everyone.
The directing duo, Joost and Schulman, have a blast with sudden loud booms that cause the audience to jump with fright. But the Teddy Ruxpin bear is the most frightening of all the paranormal toys. Peering into his eyes makes you feel like something is going to happen, but the scariest part is nothing does. It’s the suspense that makes the third time around better than any of the other two films. It’s the unpredictability@@of what?@@ that keeps the audience with one hand over their eyes and one over an ear.
But the last 15 minutes will ruin your life. There isn’t one moment where you feel like you can relax because the camera is scanning left to right and nothing appears, but just when you think you’ve survived the anguish, one more thing happens that leaves you dumbfounded through the entirety of the credits.
The film nailed it big time with the paranormal toys, booming sounds and bizarre images.@@?@@ Production-wise, “Paranormal Activity 3” is an intricate representation of 1980s films@@how?@@. Each character gives an exceptional performance, adding to the realness of the home-video feel and leaving the audience with wide-open eyes and sweaty palms.
Grade: A- @@@@